Organizations have embraced Agile and DevOps to deliver high-quality softwarein a faster and more efficient way. Test Automation is considered to be one ofthe biggest promoters of agility. But several times, the investment in TestAutomation might not deliver its value with an ineffective strategy. In this article, we will discuss devising an intelligent Test Automationstrategy that can help us prevent common Test Automation failures.

1. Identify Your Test Automation Goals and Measure Success

Test Automation without a goal is meaningless. The first part of developing aTest Automation strategy is to identify goals that will help measure success. The following questions will help you identify your Automation goals:

• What problems are you trying to solve by Test Automation? * How do you get maximum ROI with lesser effort? * What test cases should you automate? * How does Automation fit into your existing processes and workflows? * Does your team have the necessary skills and required tools? Ensure that your Automation goals are Quantifiable. Create the definition of“success” and define parameters against which you can measure the success ofyour Test Automation. You can learn more about measuring performance andsuccess by using KPIs for Test Automation here.

2. How to Devise a Test Automation strategy using the Test AutomationPyramid

The Test Automation Pyramid concept by Mike Cohn can help us formulate aneffective Test Automation strategy. At the base of the pyramid are the Unit Tests, which are the least expensiveto create and the fastest to execute. The width of each level represents thenumber of tests to be created in comparison to other levels. Thus, unit testsshould represent the majority of our tests. In the middle are the API tests that are executed against the service layer.At the top of the pyramid are the UI tests, which validate the application asa whole at the presentation layer. As we move up the pyramid, the cost involved in the creation and maintenanceof the tests, the test execution time, test fragility, and test coverage keepsincreasing. The Automation Pyramid preaches that you should push tests down tothe lowest level possible for a higher return on investment. The little cloud at the top of the pyramid signifies that, even with solidAutomation at all layers; your product requires crafty exploratory testing.

3. Defining your Test Automation Strategy

When choosing test cases to automate. Prioritize the cases that can generateROIquickly.When you know what you want to automate, find the right time to automate.

People and Tools

Bringing in the right people for implementation is critical for TestAutomation to succeed. All initiatives fail when no one owns Automation.Someone needs to own Automation full-time for every team The Automation leadshould either build a dedicated team or groom the existing members withrequired skills based on the context. The lead should clearly define whichteam members are responsible for which part of the Automation project. Thisteam should meet regularly to evaluate the goals and performance against theirKPIs. Choosing the right tool is crucial to succeeding in Test Automation. Factors to be considered when selecting a functional Test Automation tool:

• Does the tool fit into current SDLC processes? * Does the tool vendor support training and provide reliable support? * Have you performed a competitive analysis of available tools in the market? * Which programming languages does it support? Does your team have therequired skills? * Do you have the budget for the tool? * If using an open-source tool – Does the tool have good community support andwell-written documentation? * Do you foresee the risk of the vendor going out of stock or the tool beingacquired or retired? Keep in mind that tools need to adapt to us, not the other way around. It’swise to find a toolset that can work with your available skills where thelearning curve is minimal. There are plenty of code-less Test Automationtools, like TestArchitect, that have freemium options for teams to get up tospeed on automating.

4. Automated Test Lifecycle Methodology (ATLM)

According to ElfriedeDustin“Automated Test Lifecycle Methodology (ATLM) is a structured methodologygeared towards ensuring the successful implementation of Test Automation. ATLMwill help you to visualize the process of Test Automation.” The Automated Test Lifecycle Methodology (ATLM) consists of six components(ElfriedeDustin,JeffRashkaand JohnPaul,1999):

1. The Decision to Automate Testing: managing expectations and conveying thepotential benefits of automated testing to the management. 2. Test Tool Acquisition: test tool evaluation and selection process happen inthis stage. 3. Automated Testing Introduction Process: test goals and strategies aredefined and test processes are documented. 4. Test Planning, Design, and Development: In this stage, we define roles andresponsibilities, schedules, test planning, and design activities, testenvironment preparation, test risks, and contingencies, etc. 5. Execution and Management of Tests: Execute the planned unit, integration,system, and user acceptance testing. 6. Test Program Review and Assessment: an ongoing activity, where we collectlessons learned and other metrics and take corrective actions for processimprovement.

Summary

As you can see, succeeding in Test Automation is lengthy and multifaceted.Defining your goals and adopting the right approach is the first step inensuring success; after this, Test Automation success is reliant on choosingthe right people and tools, as well as following a structured methodology.Sometimes, though, it may be out of your current scope; it is okay to ask forhelp! Enlisting the help of an expert firm will definitely aid in yourAutomation effort’s success. For example, LogiGear is a firm that pridesitself on 25 years of Silicon Valley Testing Expertise; with our turnkeyAutomation suite as well as numerous training and consulting offerings, we cangive you the skills you need to get Automation right the first time.